The Next Level In Gaming

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s…Superman trying to take over the world? Even if you are not a big comic book fan, everyone knows that Superman’s main objective is to save anyone who is in danger and keep planet earth safe. This however is not the case for Injustice: Gods Among us, the latest fighting game to come from the Mortal Kombat creators; NetherRealm studios.

After the Joker murders a pregnant Lois Lane and destroys Superman’s home city of Metropolis, the Man of Steel goes out of his way to get his revenge and make sure that planet earth finally ascertains world peace. In order to make sure there is no war or bloodshed, he builds a regime of super heroes to stamp out human conflict and rule the world. Obviously not all of the caped crusaders are on board with this idea, especially Batman who builds a team of insurgents who plan to stop Superman before it’s too late.

This is just a snippet of what has to be one of the most in depth stories in a fighting game to date. Borrowing ideas from the latest Mortal Kombat game, the story mode in Injustice incorporates fully cinematic cut scenes with the one on one gameplay you come to expect with most fighting games. NetherRealm have made the transition between cut scene and gameplay seamless, really helping to immerse you in the games story line. In order to progress though the story mode you need to complete each chapter using the character given to you. This is a great way for players to test out the games roster as the majority of the fighters are playable in story mode. Unfortunately not all of the characters are playable as the story focuses more on you playing heroes rather than the villains, but for me this isn’t enough to spoil the story mode.

The single player action doesn’t stop at Story mode however as there are two other modes to get stuck into as well. These are S.T.A.R. Labs and Battle. Both of which add a unique single player experience to Injustice.

Battle mode is Injustice’s answer to your standard arcade mode where you have to battle through a set amount of fights to reach the final boss character and win. This is pretty standard for most fighting games but Injustice takes it to the next level. Within battle mode there are several additional modes for you to unlock, for example there is a mode called ‘countdown’ where you have to defeat each opponent within a 30 second time limit. These modes add an extra level of challenge and do help you to utilize your favorite characters more effectively.

Then there are the S.T.A.R Labs. This mode comprises of 240 character specific missions for you to go through, not all of which are about defeating your opponent. There is a surprising number on mini games which test your reactions, speed and memory. There are also a couple of 2D side scrolling missions thrown in there too. It is really nice to see the S.T.A.R Lab missions adding so much variety to the single player gameplay which gives Injustice something different from most fighting games out there.

In classic NetherRealm fashion the unlocks for this game come by the barrel full. Unfortunately there aren’t any unlockable characters but there are plenty of costumes, game modes and concept arts to unlock in the game Archive. You always feel that you are working towards something with the single player mode, meaning that this game will appeal to a lot of completionists.

This is a combo heavy fighter which is reliant on players to string attacks and special moves to rack up some heave damage. NetherRealm have taken the time to really make you feel like a super hero, dishing out obscene amount of damage. Some of the combo strings are very satisfying and when you throw in things like interactive objects and bone crunching arena transition moves, you will soon be racking up the damage. Some pro fighters may find this potentially game breaking however, as the game does allow players to unleash combos that can take out over half of the their opponents health. Luckily there is also the option to disable the arena’s interactive objects should you feel the need to level the playing field.

As Injustice is a fighting game, multiplayer and online capabilities are essential. This game doesn’t disappoint as online matches are seamless with minimal loading times. You also have a King Of The Hill mode available should you want to battle more than one opponent in a winner stays on. You also have the standard local Vs mode should you want to invite some friends over and make an event of it. It would have been nice to see NetherRealm add in a tag team mode much like they did with the last Mortal Kombat game, but as it stands Injustice does well to cater for players who prefer to play their fighters against real opponents.

Injustice has a great variety of characters with a decent roster of 24 heroes and villains to choose from. Any DC or comic book fan would be right at home here pitting their favorite characters against each other in order to once and for all decide who is the worlds best superhero or villain. Each of the games arena’s is based around popular locations from the DC Universe, and there is a brilliant attention to detail here. You can even make use of objects around the arena to pull off some extreme super human moves. Want to throw a jet fighter missile at your unsuspecting opponent? Maybe roundhouse kick your enemies into a passing helicopter? Then this is for you.

Pros:

+ A great amount of single player game play

+ A good roster including classic DC Characters

+ Lot of unlockables

+ In depth story mode

Cons:

- Mega combos could potentially be game breaking

- Story mode doesn’t enable you to use the full character roster

85 / 100XP

To me Injustice: Gods Among Us is a great fighting game. As well as doing some great fan service, the story will appeal to both comic book veterans and new comers alike. With a decent amount of unlockables and a good variety of single player game play, it is good to see a new fighter on the market that you can still enjoy even if your internet connection goes down.